Account-keeping device.



No. 875,774. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

R. D. BURHANS.

ACCOUNT KEEPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY4.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

4 7 I @w W Wit: woes No. 875,774 PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. R. n. BURHANS. ACCOUNT KEEPING DEVICE. APP IOATION FILED HAY4 1906 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2 llllxr a nary pass-book may be dispensed with and a able base .2, such as a counter.

r ghts the teller to purchase a system sufficient for ROSS D. BURHANS, or KEOKUX, IOWA.

ACCOUNT-KEEPING DEVIGZZL Specification of Letters Patent.

Application on May 1906. Serial No. 315.104.

T 0 all-whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Ross D. BURHANS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Keo kuk, in the county of Lee, State of Iowa, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in AccountKeeping Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for keeping accounts and it has for an object to provide an improved means by which the ordiduplicate record made by merely one entry," one record to be given to the tpstomer and the other to be retained by the dealer.

A further object is to provide a means by which the exact total of any account may be ascertained either by the customer or by the dealer, at a moments notice without adding columns of figures.

Other and further objects will appear in the following description and will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the drawings, Figure l. is a front elevation of a cabinet for retaining the different accounts. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one of the sections of the cabinet. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the receptacles. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the receptacles. Fig. 5 is an inside view of the cover showing it covered with a carbon paint. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of one of the receptacles. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the strips. 8 is a detail view of the inside case, showing the means for holding the labels in place.

The means involves the use of a number of receptacles equal to the number of accounts to be kept. These receptacles may be arranged in any suitable manner but I prefer to arrange them in a cabinet. -The cabinet shown, comprises a pair of uprights 1 supported and secured, if desired, to any-suit- Thcse upare provided on their opposed faces with horizontally alined ribs 3. A number of cabinet sections 4 provided with grooves in their ends, is then fitted between the uprights by a sliding movement. By making the cabinet in sections, it is thus possible for his business only and to increase the size of Ms system as the business grows. Each secments, each-approximately equal in size to a the size of the receptacles, the walls or partiand has a cover 9 hinged at it cover is provided I and at each end tions of the compai-tn'icnts being formed of sheet metal to reduce the size of the cabinet. The receptacles should be alphabetically arranged within the cabinet. Each receptacle consists of an outer case 5 and an innercase 6. The outer case is of rectangular forum open at 7 at its front end, has its sides cut away at S to permit the easy removal of the inner case, i to is rear end. This cover fl ol' a length slightly in excess of the body of the receptacle so that there is formed a projection 10 by which the rece taclc may be removed from the cabi let. i' 11 its outer faces, the cover is prvioed with paper clips 11 and 12, the clips 11 holding one end of a tablet of forms 13 and the clips 12 holding the other end of said tablet. The purpose and the form of this tablet will be hereinafter described. Up the inside, the

w itl: two transverse depressions 14- in which are litted elastic bands 15 which hold a carbon sheet 16 at both ends to the cover, or in place of the carbon sheet 16, a carbon surface 1. as shown in Fig. 5 may be employed. This latter carbon surface is applied in liquid form whenever the surface makes faint marks. The pur ose of thecarbon surface 16 or 17 will be hereinafter described.

The inner case 6 side walls near it with inwardly extending lingers 18 while its bottom wall has flexible lingers, the portions 19 of which serve with the lingers 18 to act as a label holder to hold a card or label 20. The portions 19" overhang the ca d and label and project inwardly. 'll A rear end oi the inside case is provided \vitl.-. an overhanging finger 21.

Vl ithin the inner case of are fitted two strips a. a1 together as shown in .l ig. cidental removal of these sti'n' ccptacles, overhanging lii rs i9 and 21 are provided, which permit said strips ":0 be removed gradually by pulling on the upper ends thereof. One of these strips, as A, acts as a record lor the strip B. it may be blank and should preferably, be 5 isparcnt. The other strip B is divided thron -bout its length by main or heavy transverse lines 22 into scctions and each line is provided with dcnominational numerals 23 on each side thereof designating fractional portions of the whole number ol divisions on the strip, the numerals at each end of the line is open at both ends, its

s front and being provided .being duplicates of each other.

same 11151111161.

The numerals on one side of the strip startat thefirst line at one end of the strip with a certain number, that shown being 5 and increase at each succeeding line an amount equal to'the number from which they start. The numerals on the opposite edge of the strip start with the same number and from the opposite end'of the strip. They also increase in the It will thus be-s een. that each line has two different numbers in duplicate at each end. Further, it will be seen that from one end the numbers increase on one side and decrease on the other side of the strip. There is thus formed, an increasing arithmetical series on one edge of the strip, and a decreasing arithmetical series on the other edge. By this-means there is provided a strip divided into sections appropriately marked in progressively increasing series. The space between two heavy transverse lines is subdivided bya number of light lines to provide spaces between them equal in number to the number with which the succeeding heavy lines increase. have shown a strip having the numbers arranged along-one edge only.

Assuming that a customer is dealing on credit, a rec'e tacle is provided with his name on the labe 20. Upon his purchase, the

dealer or his clerk remo'vesthe upper ends of l the strips A and B from the inner case 6 and. rests them upon the carbon surface 16 or 17 with the transparent strip beneath the strip B. Thedate of the purchase together witlithe articles purchased are then written on the strip B, the carbon surface causing a rec'- ord to be made on the under surface ofthe Y strip A. The matter on the strip A will of 'course be copied backwards on the back pf the strip, but as this strip is transparent, the matter maybe read from the other si e. After the record is made, the strip B is t rn either on a heavy or a light line a distail from one end of the ticket suflicient to include a number of lines equal to the amount of the purchase, the transparent tape A being torn at the same time and the same amount. The torn-ofi portion of the strip B is given to the customer who may, by referring to the last heavy lineascertain immediately theamount that he owes the dealer. The dealer retains the torn-0d portion of the transparent strip A, placing it within the receptacle between the inner case and the outer case. Should the debtor return any of the goods or ay a small amount, credit is given on the tab et 13 upon the top face of the cover. These forms are each provided with an appropriatelydesignated column 24 for the date, with an appropriately designated column 25 for the amount, and with an appropriately-designated column for the total credit. Whenthe debtor comes in to settle his account, the dealer refers to the first line of the upper end In Fig. 7, I.

of the strip B toascertain the total amount of purchases and then deducts from this the credits/ on the credit tablet 13, leaving the either by the dealer or by 'the debtor. If an I account is settled before a strip B isentirely used the. strips are, reversed, that is, they areusedfrom the other end. The strips B may. 4 be 0 any denomination.

here a dealer gives a certain percentage off or cash purchases, the strips B could be of mother color and the receptacles should be ,made out in the name of the cash' buyer.

The strip could eitherbe purchased in' .ad-

va ice for a reduced price, orredeemed when a .omplete strip has been used. u. ed, the decreasing numbers would indicate tr the purchaser, the amount he has to his c edit orthe amount hev has to buy before he cbuld have his strip redeemed.

I When employed for keeping an account ot he cash sales, the strips may be of still nether 0010-15.; One receptacle could be provided for eacliclerk, thereby keeping a record of each clerks sales. the strips B would, identity the purchaser; should he desire to returnthe' good's,' or could be redeemed when the purchase amounted to a certain sum. As a further advertisement, the dealer could stamp or otherwise When so The torn-oil portionol";

mark one or more portions of eachcash'strip,

to providea premium portion, as shown at 26, Fig. .7, and redeem the'markedportions either singly or in certain combinations of said premium portions. Trade would in this manner bestimidated as no purchaser would know when he would receive a premium, as different portions of the cash ticket would go to different purchasers, but owing. to the chance attached to each purchase, more without departing from thc'spirit of my. in

vention. I I Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is: p p

1. Means for keeping accountscomprising a receptacle having a hinged cover, a carbon surface carried by the inner face of said cover,

and a pair of strips located within the receptacle, one of said strips being transparent.

2. Means for keeping accounts, comprising a receptacle having a hinged cover, a carbon surface carried .by-th inner face of the cover, a blank carried by the outer face of the cover,

and a pair of strips within said receptacle, one of said strips having marks arranged in an ncreasing series.

3. Means for keeping accounts, comprising a receptahle having a hinged cover, a carbon .a blank carried by the outer face of the cover,

and a pair of strips within said receptacle, orte of said strips being divided into sections having two sets of-numbers, one of which increases, d the other of which decreases from one end.

5. A receptacle formed of an inner and an outer case,' the outer case open at its front 1 and cut away on its sides, and having a hinged cover carrying a carbon surface and the inner case having ftpxible fingers at its front and at its rear, am a label at its front end. I

6. A receptacle having a hinged cover, and

' a label holder, a carbon surface carried by the inner face of the cover, and paper clips on the outer face of the cover.

7.- A receptacle having a hinged cover, a carbon surface on the inner face of the cover, and flexible fingers overhanging the interior of said receptacle at the front and the rear thereof.

8. A receptacle, formed of an inner and an outer case, a hinged cover. carried by the outer case, and a carbon surface on the inner face of the cover.

9. Means for keeping accounts comprising an inner and an outer case, a pair of folded strips arranged within the innercase, one of said st rips being adapted to act as a record for the other, a receptacle formed be tween the inner and outer cases, and a'closure for the outer case.

it). Means for keeping accounts comprising a receptacle, a lunged cover for the receptacle, a rarhon surface carried on onc face of the cover, and means for securing a hlank pad to the other face of the cover.

11. Means for keeping account-s comprising a receptacle provided with a hinged cover carrying paperulips on its outer face and acompris- 13. A receptacle having a cover hinged to s the rear end of the same, projecting beyond the front end, and carrying a carbon surface and a label holder on the front end of the receptacle.

14. cans for keeping accounts comprising an inner case and an outer case, a receptacle formed between the inner and outer cases, a folded strip arranged in the inner case, and a hinged closure for the outer case.

15. Means for keeping accounts comprising a receptaclc formed of an outer case hav ing a hinged closure provided with a carbon surface, and an inner casc having lingers overhanging its compm'tmcnt at. opposite ends. I

' The foregoing, specification signed at Keokuk Iowa this 10th day of April, 1906.

ltUSS l). Bill-(HANS. in presence of two witnesses-- RALPH B. SMITH, NANNIE M. Szurrn. 

